1. Model family
Record the full displayed miner type, including suffixes such as VKnn where present. A chassis family is useful, but it is not the complete platform decision.
Platform-first firmware reference · reviewed August 27, 2026
WhatsMiner Firmware Guide: Platform, Recovery and API Version Map
Select WhatsMiner firmware and recovery media by the manufacturer’s documented model-family and control-board platform scope—not by the front-panel model name alone. Current H616/CB6 firmware can span M30, M50, M60 and M70 families, while legacy platforms and recovery images remain separate branches.
The three identities that control the firmware path
2. Control-board platform
Record the exact platform shown by the normal interface or manufacturer tool. The official recovery catalog currently separates H3, H6, H6os and H616 branches. Check the reported platform, board marking and model scope together before choosing a recovery branch.
3. Firmware generation
Record the installed build and the candidate file’s date and scope. Current packages can prohibit rollback or require a matching management-tool release.
A mismatch between label, interface, platform and package description returns an unresolved result. Do not choose the nearest model name.
Current official firmware source status
The manufacturer’s live support catalog was checked on August 27, 2026. At that time, the current unified entry was Whatsminer-all-20260729.11.bin, listed under the M3x/M5x/M6x/M7x series and modified August 18, 2026.
Manufacturer-published scope for that entry
- M70, M60, M50 and M30 series, among other listed families.
- H616 (CB6) control-board type only.
- Pool TLS support and additional firmware-security changes.
- Rollback to an earlier version is prohibited by the entry.
- The entry recommends matching WhatsMinerTool 9.2.5.
- If the installed firmware is newer than the candidate, the manufacturer says not to upgrade.
This single entry disproves the simplistic rule “one exact model, one firmware file.” The correct rule is: match the complete manufacturer scope, including platform and generation. Legacy platforms and special variants may still require different entries.
D-Central does not freeze a volatile direct-binary URL here. Re-open the manufacturer catalog and read the current instruction at the time of use.
Firmware selection decision
- Capture the unit state. Save the displayed miner type, platform/control-board value, installed version, cooling class and any fault text.
- Open the live manufacturer catalog. Select the firmware category and read the complete instruction—not only the filename.
- Match every stated boundary. Confirm included family, exact platform, excluded variants, minimum or maximum version rules and tool requirements.
- Preserve provenance. Save the landing URL, entry name, update time, file size and complete instruction. Use a publisher-provided digest only if one is actually present.
- Prepare continuity. Use stable power and network, prevent the management computer from sleeping, and follow only the current manufacturer procedure.
- Verify the result. After the documented reboot, confirm the displayed version, miner type, chains, temperatures, fans and pool connection before returning the unit to service.
Recovery media is platform-specific
The official catalog groups SD-card flashing programs by control-board platform, including H3, H6, H6os and H616. This is not an exact-model-only library and it is not one universal card image.
Current H616 recovery evidence
The catalog’s H616-SD-program-20251209.zip entry is documented for regular M6x, M5x and M3x miners. The manufacturer says that after recovery the miner must be upgraded to the latest firmware or an error code may remain.
A separate H616 entry exists for M54/M64 control-board flashing and likewise instructs the operator to perform a subsequent online firmware upgrade. That special entry must not be generalized to every H616 miner.
Safe recovery gate
- Use the exact platform branch documented by the manufacturer.
- Confirm whether the unit is a regular air-cooled miner, hydro/immersion variant, or a special M54/M64 path.
- Use the media-writing method stated in the current package documentation; this guide does not invent a universal utility, capacity, orientation, LED sequence or duration.
- Do not assume recovery media restores current production firmware; follow the documented post-recovery upgrade requirement.
- If platform identity or package scope is unresolved, stop and request diagnosis.
WhatsMiner API: current v3 versus legacy v2
“The WhatsMiner API runs on port 4028” is now incomplete. The manufacturer publishes more than one API generation, and software must identify which surface the installed firmware supports.
| API generation | Transport | Scope and operational boundary |
|---|---|---|
| API 3.0.0 | TCP port 4433 with the current documented framed protocol; current online service uses TLS. | Catalog says supported by firmware later than 2024-05-01. Documentation describes up to 10 concurrent clients, a four-byte little-endian message length, 300-second idle disconnect, named accounts and permissioned get.*/set.* commands. |
| API V2.2.2 / legacy v2 | Legacy TCP port 4028 surface. | The catalog’s V2.2.2 manual says it is supported by firmware later than 2025-08-31. Treat its command names, authentication and limits as version-specific rather than importing them into API v3. |
API v3 documents get.device.info, miner status, logs, settings, users and permissioned state-changing commands. Its firmware-update command receives a framed file after a “ready” response and then reboots the miner. The documented transfer flow does not publish an authenticity field, so this page does not claim that all images are signed or that every unit performs a particular signature check.
PSU telemetry and internal-control boundary
Operator or fleet software↓Web UI · management tool · documented API↓Control board and installed firmware↓Model-specific integrated PSU boundary↓DC distribution to hashboards and cooling
Operator-visible power status does not prove one universal internal PSU protocol. Match the exact miner type, control-board revision, PSU identity and firmware before interpreting a fault or attempting service.
API v3 exposes operator-level power settings and status, including a power limit, power mode and documented temporary power-target commands on supported firmware. Those fields do not establish raw PSU bus framing, pinouts, calibration rules, voltage-override safety or replacement compatibility.
High-voltage boundary: do not open, probe, modify or substitute an integrated PSU based on an API field or family name. Route breaker trips, arcing, smell, damaged connectors, repeated protection faults and shutdown-under-load symptoms to qualified diagnosis.
What this guide deliberately does not claim
That every WhatsMiner uses an Allwinner controller
That no model contains an FPGA
A family-wide cryptographic-signing rule
That publisher SHA-256 hashes are always available
That one media-writing utility is universal or mandatory
That one SD image covers every platform
That one model name determines a package
That API v2 and v3 commands are interchangeable
That a PSU error is firmware-only
That a third-party image supports an entire chassis family
Where the manufacturer does not publish an answer, the result remains unknown. That is safer and more useful than filling the gap with a forum convention.
Alternative firmware and controller paths
Replacement-firmware support is exact-miner-type and control-board specific. A public support list for one platform does not establish support for a neighboring suffix, controller or generation. Hardware replacement controllers are a separate path from firmware-only installation and carry their own form-factor, warranty and operational constraints.
Before evaluating any alternative, capture the full miner-type string—including VKnn when shown—the control board, stock version and recovery plan. Treat project support pages as date-sensitive and confirm them directly. D-Central does not present unnamed community binaries as validated merely because they boot on a similar chassis.
Route by outcome
I have a numbered faultDecode the error first and separate PSU, cooling, hashboard and controller states.The miner powers off or will not startUse the symptom-first power path rather than reflashing by default.I need maintenance or repair contextUse model-family service boundaries and high-voltage safety.The dashboard reports an M50S PSU faultOpen the model-specific error entry.I need source and integrity policyUnderstand provenance, digests, mirrors and unavailable publisher artifacts.Platform or fault remains unresolvedSend model, platform, version and symptom evidence—never passwords or private access.
WhatsMiner firmware questions
Is WhatsMiner firmware selected by exact model?
Not always. The current unified H616/CB6 package spans several M30, M50, M60 and M70 families. Match the complete manufacturer scope, including model family, platform and version conditions.
Which WhatsMiner recovery image should I use?
Use only the manufacturer entry for the exact control-board platform and documented machine class. The current catalog separates H3, H6, H6os and H616 recovery branches and includes special paths.
Does every WhatsMiner API use port 4028?
No. Port 4028 belongs to the legacy v2 surface. Current API v3 documentation uses the port-4433 framed service and must be implemented according to its own authentication and command model.
Are all WhatsMiner firmware images cryptographically signed?
The reviewed current public documentation does not establish a family-wide signing rule or expose an authenticity field in the documented API transfer flow. Use the official source and do not assume an undocumented verification mechanism.
Can firmware fix a WhatsMiner PSU error?
Not by assumption. A PSU fault can involve input power, connectors, cooling, protection state, the PSU itself, telemetry or firmware. Preserve the exact error and route it through model-specific diagnosis.
What should I record before an update or recovery?
Record the full miner type, control-board/platform string, installed version, cooling class, exact symptom and the complete manufacturer package instruction. Preserve the source URL, entry date and file size.
Last reviewed August 19, 2026.Related products, repair, and setup paths